Integration FAQ

In general, EVMS contracts will be assumed by ODU, and terms and conditions within the assumed contracts will remain in effect.

ODU provides yearly reviews. For A/P personnel, they take place in April and are due June 1. Classified personnel are reviewed in August and completed in October.

EVMS employees become ODU/state employees on Day One: July 1, 2024.

The state policy that governs remote work is for Classified employees. For A/P Faculty, the decision is at the discretion of the department. 

FMLA policies are governed by the Department of Labor and include a one-year employment history requirement. If you worked at EVMS for at least one year prior to integration, you will be eligible for FMLA at ODU on Day One.

Yes. Leave currently approved under FMLA at EVMS will carry over on Day One. Any requests for recertification will be in accordance with ODU Policy and not the result of integration.

Up to $400,000 is a guaranteed issue. Coverage beyond the guaranteed issue amount will require employees to answer health questions.

A spouse will be eligible to receive up to one-half the amount of coverage elected by the employee up to $200,000, guaranteed issue. 

To receive any benefits that may be adjusted based on prior military service (e.g. Classified Staff annual leave accrual) acceptable documentation, such as form DD214, must be submitted to ODU HR.

The onboarding process at ODU will be similar to EVMS’ process. Detailed information regarding the process will be provided ahead of Day One.

The process for FY25 annual reviews and pay increases for EVMS employees is currently under review. More information will be forthcoming as we approach Day One.

The recruitment/hiring process and strategy remain under development.

Approved H-1B visa petitions will not be directly impacted by integration. As a successor employer, ODU will assume sponsorship of EVMS H-1B petitions on Day One. Departments will have the ability to sponsor immigrant visa petitions in accordance with applicable policy and procedure.

This depends on employee classification. Hourly wage employees must complete a Web Timesheet containing the actual number of hours worked each day during the pay period. Enter all hours worked.

Non-Exempt Classified employees must report time worked and leave taken on a daily basis. These employees must use Web Time Entry (WTE) to complete a Web Timesheet of the actual number of hours worked each day during the pay period. Not entering time worked or leave taken on the Web Timesheet via Web Time Entry will result in a delay in payment.

Classified Exempt employees are responsible for recording leave time taken only (i.e., vacation or sick time or compensatory leave earned/taken) and compensatory leave earned via web time entry. Not submitting a Web Timesheet could result in a delay in payment. A Web Time Sheet must be submitted for every pay period. If no leave was taken and no compensatory leave was earned for a given pay period, classified exempt employees must open the time sheet for that pay period and enter "no leave taken" in the comment section of the time sheet and submit the time sheet for approval.

Faculty must report leave taken by submitting Leave Reports via Web Time Entry per the Leave Reports submission schedule. 

No one will lose their job through the integration, and there is no plan to eliminate existing, filled positions after the integration without cause. If an employee fails to perform as expected (now, during the integration, or after it), the employee is subject to a progressive disciplinary policy that could end in termination. 

A Benefits Conference is being hosted at EVMS in Waitzer Hall on April 29 and 30, 2024 with a fully virtual option on May 1, 2024. This multi-day event will provide EVMS employees with a multitude of benefits-related opportunities, including concurrent sessions and individual consultations.

Find out more about the ODU Benefit Conference. 

Benefits are provided to eligible part-time employees. Paid leave benefits are prorated based on hours worked. For more detailed information based on specific classification and schedule, please contact EVMS Human Resources.

To be eligible for the payment, employees must be employed by EVMS/ODU the latter of June 30, 2024, or the time of payment, and not be in their official notice period. Official notice period is defined as the mandatory notice period by pay class:  six (6) months for clinical faculty; three (3) months for non-clinical faculty.  For full information regarding required notice periods, visit myPortal. 

No. Sick leave from EVMS will not roll over after Day One. Sick leave payout will occur in late June or  July 2024.

Employees will be paid based on the number of unused sick leave hours at the close of business on June 30, 2024.

Yes. This payout will be taxed as regular income. 

No. With VSDP, there is no carry over.

There is no form of penalty related to the payout of sick leave. This payout will be taxed as regular income. An exact tax rate cannot be provided given that a number of other employees specific variables (i.e. amount of pre-tax deductions) factor into the effective tax rate each employee pays. 

Yes. Information will be provided in writing from both the Virginia Department of Human Resource Management (DHRM) and EVMS/ODU. The information packets for open enrollment were mailed by DHRM starting April 1, 2024.

Yes, ODU coverage will be effective July 1, 2024. EVMS coverage will terminate automatically on June 30, 2024.

Loss of coverage is a qualifying event; however, open enrollment of spouse is also a qualifying event. Employees on a spouse's plan can enroll for coverage effective July 1, 2024, and can drop the spouse's coverage based on the ODU Open Enrollment. They must notify their spouse's employer within 30 days of the event of the need to drop the spouse's coverage.

Plan deductibles will reset July 1; however, it should be noted that the plan deductible for the EVMS Optima CDHP currently resets on July 1. Plan deductibles for the Optima POS, HMO and Anthem PPO Rx deductible are based on calendar years. Since employees will be moving from the EVMS plans to different ODU plans the deductibles on the ODU plans (if any) will apply. 

No, it will not. As it relates to your spouse. It’s the dependent based on IRS rules. 

There will be recordings of the benefit information sessions. Also, there will be virtual on-on-one sessions available on May 1.

Find out more here.

A Benefits Conference is being hosted at EVMS in Waitzer Hall on April 29 and 30, 2024 with a fully virtual option on May 1, 2024. This multi-day event will provide EVMS employees with a multitude of benefits-related opportunities, including concurrent sessions and individual consultations.

Find out more here. 

May 1-15, 2024

Documentation requirements for benefits enrollment are as follows:

Enrollment of your spouse: A copy of the certified/registered marriage certificate and a copy of the top portion of the employee’s last federal tax return that shows the spouse’s name (social security number and financial information does not need to be provided). Marriages performed in the current year do not require the tax form. This requirement also applies if the employee and spouse file taxes separately as the spouse’s name is still required on the tax return.

Enrollment of a child/children: a copy of the birth certificate, adoption agreement or court order (whichever applies). Stepchildren require a copy of the birth certificate as well as the documentation for spouse.

Enrollment of an incapacitated adult dependent(s): a copy of the birth certificate, proof of prior employer-sponsored coverage and other medical/eligibility documentation as needed. NOTE: This documentation only is required once unless you have a change in circumstances. 

Since many employees will have a one-year waiting period before accessing VRS-provided short- and long-term disability benefits, EVMS will be providing 100 percent employer-paid short- and long-term disability benefits coverage to all eligible EVMS legacy employees for the first year after integration. After the first year, these benefits will become voluntary and employee paid for employees who do not elect VSDP. 

Salaried means receiving a fixed amount of compensation regardless of how many hours worked. An exempt employee primarily performs work that is not subject to the Fair Labor Standards Act's (FLSA) overtime regulations and, therefore, not entitled to overtime pay. Exempt employees must be paid on a salary basis. 

The classification information current EVMS employees see when they log in into MIDAS is the EVMS classification, not the projected ODU classification which goes into effect July 1. If there is any confusion regarding an employee’s ODU classification, please contact EVMS Human Resources.

No. Everyone who is not EVMS faculty will not be ODU Classified Staff. For descriptions of the employee categories, please visit myPortal. Also, please refer to your employment notification letter for confirmation of your specific classification. These letters were distributed between mid-February and mid-April.

No. There will not be a pay increase to cover the mandatory retirement contribution. However, for most employees, there will be a decrease in employee paid health premiums (depending on the plan elected) that will offset a portion or in some cases all the 5% contribution.

Also, since the retirement deduction is a pre-tax deduction, it reduces taxable income, which can lower an employee’s tax bill which saves employees money by paying less in taxes.  

The following example is for illustrative purposes: Employee “X” earns a salary of 42,000 per year. Assuming a filing status of single, no deductions (i.e., pre-tax retirement contribution) other than mandatory withholdings, employee “X” will pay about $7,911 in taxes for the year. If a 5% pre-tax retirement contribution is made employee “X” will reduce their tax liability by about $334. Therefore, although the employee contributes 5% pre-tax the actual reduction in net pay is 4.2%. As stated above, lower health premiums would further offset the required retirement contribution.

A Benefits Conference is being hosted at EVMS in Waitzer Hall on April 29 and 30, 2024 with a fully virtual option on May 1, 2024. This multi-day event will provide EVMS employees with a multitude of benefits related opportunities, including concurrent sessions and individual consultations. Find out more here.  

Retirement information sessions will include information for those with prior state service. In addition, those with prior state service that have a VRS account can access their account information by logging into myVRS or call the VRS Customer Contact Center at 888.827.3847. 

Under the defined benefit component of the hybrid plan, employees become eligible for an unreduced retirement benefit when they reach their normal Social Security retirement age and have at least five years (60 months) of service credit, or when their age and service equal 90.

The EVMS and ODU plans will be merged and the ODU plan will assume the EVMS plan contracts. While technically not a roll-over the end result is the same. The primary difference is that a roll-over has to be initiated by the individual participant and this process is initiated at the plan level and will be automatic (no action is needed or required by employees). 

A Benefits Conference is being hosted at EVMS in Waitzer Hall on April 29 and 30, 2024 with a fully virtual option on May 1, 2024. This multi-day event will provide EVMS employees with a multitude of benefits related opportunities, including concurrent sessions and individual consultations. Find out more here. 

AP/TR and AP/TR Medical faculty have the option to enroll in the Hybrid Plan or the HEORP plan but cannot be enrolled in both.

No, hourly-wage employees are not eligible for VRS benefits and therefore no subject to the required 5% employee retirement contribution. 

Yes. Four years can be purchased based on EVMS service. Credit may be purchased for other types of eligible service. 

Please visit varetire.org.   

You can purchase prior service at a less expensive rate during the first two years. Detailed information on purchasing prior service can be found on the VRS website. 

Hourly Wage employees (part-time employees working less than 1,500 hours per year like EVMS transient employees) will receive their first paycheck as ODU employees on 8/1/24.

Classified Staff (Salaried Exempt and Non-Exempt), AP/TR, AP/TR Medical, and AP Restricted (Residents) Faculty will receive their first pay check 7/16. However, for EVMS employees that are currently paid monthly this will be a partial check covering time worked from 7/1-7/9. For EVMS employees currently paid bi-weekly that will cover time worked from 6/25-7/9.

No. Annual leave must be earned prior to it being used. Classified employees may not receive leave advances. The AP Faculty Handbook allows for annual leave advances in “unusual circumstances.” EVMS Legacy employees may have leave available for utilization on Day One of the integration.

In the ODU system, a new leave category will be created to include up to 80 hours of their existing leave balance to be transferred from EVMS.

In addition, an accrued leave variance based on years of service for classified employees will be provided in order to offset a portion of the leave lost. The combination of the leave carryover and the classified leave variance cannot exceed 240 hours.

No. If employees are eligible for overtime now, they will continue to be eligible after the integration. Hourly (wage) employees will continue to have a cap of 1,500 hours per year. 

When those dates fall on a Saturday, employees are paid on Friday. When they fall on a Sunday, employees are paid on Saturday.

Yes.

No. Compensation will not be changed as a result of the integration.

Compensation increases for FY25 will be based on what is approved by the EVMS Board of Visitors as part of the FY25 budget.

If approved by the EVMS Board of Visitors as part of the FY25 budget EVMS employees will receive pay increases for FY25.

We are planning for both monthly and bi-weekly employees to received their final EVMS paychecks on June 28, 2024. For monthly employees, this will cover the full month of June. For bi-weekly employees, this will cover the June 15 - June 24 period. 

Yes. It will stay the same. 

Employees should use their floating holiday prior to June 30, 2024.  The only carryover is up to 80 hours of unused vacation. The maximum carryover for all employees will be 80hrs.

Employees will start to accrue annual leave in accordance with ODU policy on day one.

EVMS employees may carry over up to 80 hours of unused vacation on Day One. Classified staff with five or more years of service are eligible to receive additional paid leave referred to as "Legacy Leave."  

All employees will begin accruing annual leave upon becoming an ODU employee in accordance with ODU policy.

For Classified employees, EVMS service is taken into consideration in determining the amount of legacy leave an employee may receive. AP/TR and AP/TR Medical Faculty EVMS will not receive legacy leave, so EVMS service is not a factor with regard to leave for these employees. 

No, there will be no change in the EVMS Medical Group holiday schedule.

No, 80 hours is the maximum amount of unused vacation that can be rolled over. Classified staff with 10 years of service will be eligible to receive additional "Legacy Leave" on Day One.

Prior service may be credited for Classified Staff. AP/TR and AP/TR Medical Faculty leave accrual is not based on service.

No, but employees who work on a holiday observed by ODU may be eligible to receive comp time to use at a later date with supervisor approval.

PTO request should be discussed with the post-integration supervisor as soon as possible. Approval will be at the discretion of the post-integration supervisor. To the extent practical, previously scheduled PTO should be honored; however departmental operations may preclude approval in some instances.